Laura Collett leads the way going into cross-country day at Badminton

With a remarkable score of 21.0, Laura Collett and London 52 take the provisional lead from her Olympic teammate Tom McEwen, who sits in second overnight with Kitty King still hot on his tail in third

It’s been another great day of dressage for the British riders at Badminton, with lots of young riders making their debuts at the prestigious event and some familiar faces putting in competitive performances later in the day with their second rides.

Laura Collett produced a stunning test, with 13-year-old London 52 unphased by the atmosphere and rising to meet the high expectations placed on the pair after their incredible performance as part of the gold medal winning team at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The test was a masterclass of obedience and expression with a scattering of well-deserved 10’s awarded by the judges – and their personal best 5* score to date – giving them all to play for in the next two phases.

“It’s not often you go into the arena at Badminton and have a lovely time, but that horse is just so nice to ride and he was so with me. This is what we all dream of and he was so with me,” said Laura afterwards in an interview with British Equestrian.

“I’m very conscious of the pressure, but I said after Tokyo that I wouldn’t read into things and that this horse owes me nothing – he won me my first five-star and he won me an Olympic gold medal, so everything now is about enjoying a phenomenal horse.”

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class also managed to cause some upset among the leaders with a score of 25.9 putting them in joint eighth with Amanda Pottinger of New Zealand and giving Oliver two horses in the top 10. Possibly not the test that the pair had hoped for, but still very much in contention for the title.

Reigning Burghley champion combination Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street are knocking on the door of the top 10 after they put down a score of 26.1 leaving them in 11^th place going into the second phase after a very well ridden test. And, just in front of them, with a score of 26.0, is Ros Canter and her second ride, Lordships Graffalo.

Finishing up the day with her Badminton debut was Kylie Roddy and SRS Kan Do, giving the crowds a real treat for the last ride and scoring an amazing 29.4 to put them in 20^th place. Kylie left the arena with a huge smile and directing all the applause to her horse in a display of horsemanship that reminded us all why love the sport.

Other mounts we’d hoped to see in the top 20 include Tom McEwen with CHF Cooliser and Harry Meade with Away Cruising although neither had quite the day they were hoping for, scoring 34.4 and 36.5 respectively – Away Cruising looking particularly on his toes from the get-go and evidently ready to tackle the cross-country tomorrow. The scores are tight in the middle of the leaderboard, and we all know what a huge difference those cross-country time penalties can make when competitors take to the track tomorrow.

We’ve seen an incredible standard of dressage over the past two days, but it’s anyone’s guess who’ll come out on top after a challenging phase tomorrow. Tune back in tomorrow at 10am when trailblazers Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI kick off the cross-country phase.

For the cross-country running order and full list of results as they stand, head to badminton-horse.co.uk

Leaderboard:

1. Laura Collett and London 52 on 21
2. Tom McEwen and Toledo De Kerser on 23.4
3. Kitty King and Vendredi Biats on 24.8
4. Mollie Summerland and Charly Van Ter Heiden on 24.9
5. Tamra Smith and Mai Baum on 25.3

=6 Oliver Townend and Swallow Springs on 25.7

=6 Piggy March and Vanir Kamira on 25.7

=8 Amada Pottinger and Just Kidding on 25.9

=8 Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class on 25.9

10. Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo on 26.0

Photo credit: © Badminton Horse Trials Limited